---- THE LATEST BUZZ ---- (3/27/15) Sneak Preview of Tomorrowland Film On The Way (MORE...) (3/9/15) Innoventions to Close For 2 Months, But For What? (MORE...) (2/21/15) New Paint The Night Rumor (MORE...) (2/2/15) Disneyland - New Haunted Mansion Addition Coming Very Soon (MORE...)

Ride Rehabs - These dates are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.Matterhorn - NOW CLOSED through May 15Critter Country - NOW CLOSED through Apr. 2 Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes - NOW CLOSED through Apr. 2 Splash Mountain - NOW CLOSED through Apr. 2 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - NOW CLOSED through Apr. 2 Hungry Bear Restaurant - NOW CLOSED through Apr. 2Peter Pan’s Flight - NOW CLOSED through May 7Captain EO - NOW CLOSED through ????Innoventions - Mar. 31, 2015 through Sept. 30, 2016Indiana Jones - Apr. 20 through May 1

General Park News - (3/27/15) A sneak preview of Disney’s new movie, “Tomorrowland” will be shown at Disneyland in the Tomorrowland Theater, and at Epcot in the Imagination Pavilion Theater. This limited time attraction will be presented with special in-theater special effects when it starts in mid April. The Disneyland version will also feature an exhibit of production artwork and props from the film as well. After that, look for Tomorrowland to hit theaters nationwide on May 22, 2015. (3/9/15) Disneyland has announced that starting on March 31, they will close down Innoventions for a two month long refurbishment. Exactly what Disney has in store for the Innoventions building at this time isn't known, which has become home not just to displays about future technology, but has become the home to all the Marvel character meet & greets and display areas over the years such as Thor, the Iron Man hall of armor, Captain America, etc... Given that Avengers: Age of Ultron bits the big screen on May 1st, it almost seems like a bit of poor timing that the Avengers themselves may be unavailable to guests during the first month of the film's release, though I do have to wonder if some re-working to the Marvel character areas within may be part of the rehab, as the release of the second Avengers movie also marks the end of Phase 2 and the lead in to the start of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus... considering Marvel's new deal with Sony over the use of Spider-man, I do wonder if we could see old web-head arrive to pose for photos with Disneyland guests sooner than later. (Note: Spiderman does actually have a Meet & Greet at Walt Disney Studios Paris) (2/2/15) While the Haunted Mansion has reopened from a refurbishment and the removal of the Holiday version of the attraction, the park has also teased a new addition as being on the way on the Disney Parks Blog. The post mentions that "those with a keen eye will notice something strange when they leave the mansion and enter its spooky cemetery on their Doom Buggies... but what disquieting metamorphosis is happening in this space?" Sure enough there is a new wall with a window added as you depart the attic on the right side of the track now. If I had to guess, I would think that the new Hatbox Ghost animatronic figure put on display at the 2013 D23 convention may be ready to become the Mansion's newest resident. Currently, the only thing seen in the window is the brass bat figure that is also used as the top of the queue posts you pass by as you approach the boarding area for the Doom Buggies. (1/29/15) Westcoaster pokes around Disneyland this week... checking out the huge number of construction walls up in the park as a plethora of major rehab projects are taking place all at once to get ready for the 60th Anniversary. Speaking of which, I'm told that the Disney Parks Blog will be posting live updates about all the new-ness they will bring to the park for the 60th Anniversary at 11pm EST / 8pm PST on Wednesday night, so we'll likely have more coverage and reactions very soon.

(1/2/15) Disney & More has a very special article today as part of a final tribute to WDI Imagineer Pat Burke who passed away just before Christmas. Fan of both Disneyland and Disneyland Paris will want to take particular note about this one, as it is all about one of the park’s most popular new e-ticket attraction proposals that never made it off the page. We’re talking about Geyser Mountain, both the mountain themed version proposed for Disneyland that would have served as an extension of the Big Thunder Mountain theme, as well as a slightly different steel structure themed version proposed for Disneyland Paris. (12/13/14) The latest buzz from Disneyland are claims that the park will open a new private dining room that, like Club 33, will be hidden in the buildings above New Orleans Square. The new location will be called 21 Royal Street, however it will not be used as a regular restaurant, and advanced reservations of the room will be required when it opens sometime in early 2015. In fact, the only people who will apparently be allowed to make reservations initially will be Club 33 members, though Disney has confirmed that they may open the venue up for public bookings at some point in the future. Like Club 33, it seems that Disneyland is likely to offer alcohol service in 21 Royal Street as well. (11/11/14) Disneyland announced that new viewing options are coming to Fantasmic! starting December 12th. The park will be added reserved viewing areas that you will be required to have a Fastpass ticket to get into, to be distributed on a first-come basis along Big Thunder Trail in Frontierland, up until 1-hour before showtime. Chances are, they will run out long before this however, so consider this fair warning, as this is pretty much the same system that I believe is used at DCA for World of Color. There will also be a stand-by viewing area for those who are unable to get Fastpass reservations to the show, but viewing here will also be given on a first-come basis. Those wanting a little more, there will also be new Fantasmic! dining packages also offered for the Blue Bayou, River Bell Terrace and a dessert party at Hungry Bear Restaurant, and more. These reservation options will become available starting Nov. 12 and you can book online at Disneyland.com or by calling 714-781-DINE (714-781-3463.

2015 - Diamond Celebration / Disneyland Forever / Paint The Night - Confirmed - (2/21/15) A quick note about the Paint the Night parade coming to Disneyland. I've been told that the proposed plan to retrofit and include a couple of old floats from Tokyo Disney has been dropped for now, in favor of staying focused on just getting all the new floats up and running in time for the parade launch. But you never know... they could always work on adding these floats to the parade at a later date. (1/29/14) The Disneyland Resort confirmed their plans for the 60th Anniversary of Disneyland last night, and while there was a surprise of two, the announcement didn't confirm any plans for new attractions, or the rumored attraction upgrades that so many were wanting to hear about. Of course, Disney really didn't hype up or promote the massive upgrade they did to the Alice in Wonderland ride last year, or promote the new finale added to Big Thunder Mt, so this doesn't mean that those rumored dark ride upgrades (Hat Box Ghost in Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, etc...) aren't going to happen. All it means is that Disney isn't going to try and promote them to the general public as major new additions to the park, if or when they do happen. That said, lets take a good look at what they did confirm, shall we? For starters, Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland will be given a glitter-ific up-do for the Diamond Celebration. The iconic structure will receive a large diamond medallion with the letter "D", and special blue Diamond Celebration banners all over the structure. (Follow the link to our California Adventure page to see the artwork and information about what else is coming to DCA this year.)

What else is new? Disneyland will kick off the celebration on May 22, 2015 with some major new entertainment offerings after dark including a completely new fireworks experience called "Disneyland Forever" as well as confirming the rumored plans to add a new nighttime parade called "Paint the Night". Disneyland Forever is expected to change your expectations forever on what a fireworks show can be. The show will, " envelops you in an enthralling, breathtaking journey like never before, leveraging the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects. Main Street, U.S.A., and several other Disneyland park locations become a magical canvas taking us into a world of dreams, from flying above the London skyline from “Peter Pan” to a dance with King Louie in “The Jungle Book.”" The show that will transform the park before your very eyes will also feature two original new songs, "Live the Magic" as the theme and a closing song written by Disney Legend Richard Sherman called "Kiss Goodnight". A sample video showing off how the projection technology will be used to transform Main Street during the fireworks show can be seen below. If that wasn't enough the new Paint the Night parade will return the tradition of having a bit nighttime celebration parade to the park once again as a throwback to the days of the Main Street Electrical Parade from long ago. "The “Paint the Night” parade brings some of the most innovative floats, vibrant costumes, dazzling special effects, unforgettable music and energetic performances ever presented at Disneyland Resort. This new, state-of-the-art nighttime parade floods Main Street, U.S.A., with stunning color, fun surprises and more than 1.5 million brilliant LED lights." Mickey will harness the power of Tinker Bell's pixie dust and to "Paint the Night" in vivid glowing colors as popular Disney characters from Cars, Monsters Inc., The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast and Frozen pass by the audience.

(12/29/14) Luke & The Temple of Fun have posted a fun photo report from Hong Kong Disneyland showing off their Paint the Night parade. This will be especially interesting to those wondering what the new parade coming to Disneyland for the 60th Anniversary will look like, as the California park is expected to get copies of these same floats and character costume designs, which really do look great. (10/28/14) The latest buzz from our parade sources tell us that the two floats from Tokyo Disney are actually from that resorts retired Jubilation parade. They are expecting to strip the floats down and rebuild them to be included in the new California parade. I’ve also heard a rumor that the new California parade may have an exclusive “Frozen” themed unit. (10/23/14) More Screamscape sources have confirmed about everything we've heard so far… Paint the Night is coming to Disneyland, and the two floats backstage sound like retired units from Tokyo to be added to the parade to make it even longer than the Hong Kong original. That said… I’m told that the iconic electric paint brushes sold to guests in Hong Kong allowing them to temporaryly “paint” the floats into other colors as they pass will not be part of the Disneyland show however. It seems the concept didn't work out quite as well in HK as they had planned, so it is being scrapped for the DL version. (10/21/14) Screamscape sources report that some of the floats for Disneyland’s own version of the Paint the Night parade are already on site, parked out in back of the park right now. Floats themed to Jungle Book and Peter Pan have already been seen. According to our source, the Disneyland version will be bigger than the Hong Kong version, and may even incorporate some retired floats from Tokyo if they can be updated to use the same new technology. The final name for the parade in Disneyland has not been decided, as they may keep the Paint the Night name, use a previously rumored Animazement name, or go with something else entirely. Internally I’ve heard many are simply referring to it as “Disney’s Electrical Parade” for lack of anything better. (10/20/14) It’s been awhile since I’ve heard any more about this rumor, but according to various rumblings, a cloned set of Hong Kong’s new Paint the Night parade floats are said to be under construction. If true… the long standing rumor was that a copy of the parade would be sent to Disneyland for the park’s 50th Anniversary. (5/22/14) Screamscape sources tell us that Disneyland will receive an identical night parade to the “Disney Paint The Night” parade opening in Hong Kong Disneyland this October. The Disneyland version will open under a different name however, “Animazement”. I’m told that work crews are currently building two identical sets of floats for the two parks right now, which will feature units themed to Toy Story, Cars, Tinkerbell and more. Look for this new parade to open as part of the Disenyland 60th Anniversary celebration in 2015. (2/26/14) According to a rumor posted at Disney & More, the new interactive Paint the Night Parade being added to Hong Kong Disneyland in late Summer or Fall 2014 could make a quick journey over the Pacific ocean to Disneyland in 2015, just in time to be a last second addition for the park’s 60th Anniversary.

2015 - Frozen Additions - (12/22/14) Frozen has come to Disneyland in the form of a new display area showing off the port kindom of Arendelle on the park’s Storybook Land Canal Boats ride. On January 7th a new live Frozen show will begin performing in Fantasy Faire as the Royal Theater’s resident storytellers will re-tell the story of Anna and Elsa. You can also look for Anna and Elsa to appear on their own float during the Mickey’s Soundsational Parade.

???? - Peter Pan Upgrade - Rumor - (4/30/14) As rumored, Peter Pan’s Flight is expected to also get some dramatic new animatronic figure and effects updates, including new figures where the facial animations are projected onto the faces from the inside, similar to what is going into the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Walt Disney World.

???? - (4/30/14) Upgrades to Mt. Toad, Show White and Pinocchio - Rumor - (4/30/14) Look for all these of these dark rides to close for refurbishments projects, once at a time, that is also expected to see show scene improvements and possibly new figures, similar to the rumored upgrades to Alice and Peter Pan slated for 2014/2015,

???? - Tomorrowland / Star Wars Land - ON HOLD - (1/22/15) Screamscape sources tell us that early Wednesday morning, there was an army of height test balloons flying over various sections of Disneyland in the early dawn light. From the look of the placement, these balloons appeared to be located over Toontown, the backstage Circle D Ranch area as well as over the Autopia and Finding Nemo Submarine lagoon. What do these areas have in common? They have both been talked about as the most likely locations to be put to use for a Star Wars themed land if Disney opts to build one at Disneyland. (8/20/14) The latest updates at MiceChat are full of interesting rumors about ideas in development, but remember these are just possible ideas. Nothing has been green lit yet. Keeping that in mind, they claim that a new proposal for a Star Wars themed land has jumped across the park, leaving the Tomorrowland and instead planing on taking over the Big Thunder Ranch area, hiding show buildings for attractions across the train tracks, and possibly even taking over all of the current Toontown in the process. This is thought to be a bigger and better Star Wars themed land than what they were almost ready to announce for Tomorrowland earlier this year before it got put on hold. This too is still in the development phase, but gives us new ideas to think about. (2/24/14) A fascinating look at just what the Disneyland of the future might look like if the proposed Star Wars land gets built has been posted to Disney & More this week, as designed by S.W. Wilson. It shows off an interesting revision where the Monorail route takes a new path through Tomorrowland, the Subs and Autopia are removed to make way for the forest moon of Endor and a dueling Speeder Biker roller coaster experience, the Millennium Falcon sits proudly docked as a central icon in the middle of Tomorrowland and a look at other possible future attraction sites. It’s just a Blue Sky Dream right now, but it does paint an interesting possible future for Disneyland. (1/9/14) The latest update posted to MiceAge claims that the first phase of a Star Wars themed overlay for Tomorrowland was approved and will begin this year. This is just new themeing, and not a new attraction in the budget just yet while they still try to hammer things out on the budget end of things. In the meantime, it looks like the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will sit silent and closed this year, while they determine if it will be removed to make way for a future attraction proposal, or of they will scrap those plans and keep it. For now the work will begin on the exterior of the Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear buildings flanking the entrance corridor to Tomorrowland. (11/10/13) In something about as close to an official confirmation as you can get before the big official press release, Bob Iger seems to have just confirmed that Star Wars themed lands are in the way to both of Disney’s domestic theme park resorts in the near future. Check out the details over at Disney & More. (10/14/13) Honestly, I’m not sure how legit this report is, but MiceAge claims that the next big makeover for Tomorrowland will bring in a heavy Star Wars themed overlay to much of the landscape. Star Tours 2 will fit right in of course and popular Disney rides like Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year will remain untouched, but the rest of Tomorrowland may be up for grabs by the Rebels or Empire. The Astro Orbiter is said to be removed from its current location near the hub, opening up the entrance to Tomorrowland once again, but a replacement version of the ride will likely be placed in the current location of the Magic Eye theater, or on top of it (they will have to rebuild the theater structure to withstand the extra weight). The loading of this ride will likely be through the second floor area of the Starcade. Space Mountain will also have a new entrance path created for it, which will be a good thing since it’s never quite felt “right” to me after they removed the old speedramp entrance. The Innoventions building will likely be repurposed or demolished to make way for a long rumored Speeder Bikes high speed thrill ride coaster, with indoor and outdoor sections. If this sounds familiar, it should... this matches up with the description of a rumored proposal for an indoor/outdoor Tron Lightcycle coaster that leaked out many months ago. It could be the same kind of ride (Vekoma Boosterbike coaster) just with a different theme. The problem here is that the MiceAge rumor claims that the Speeder Bikes will head outside and also replace the current Autopia attraction to make room for the coaster track. While this sounds good on the surface, a good portion of the Autopia is built out on top of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage indoor caverns, making it difficult, if not impossible in some cases, to put down those massive roller coaster support beams and giant concrete footers that would be required. There is also the issue of the monorail track that also moves through this area as well… so I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this rumor shapes up before we know more. Other new additions may see a lifesized recreation of the Millennium Falcon docked on top of the old Rocket Rods podium building in the heart of Tomorrowland, and the chance to eat inside a copy of the Tatooine Cantina restaurant where the current Tomorrowland Terrace is now. As for my take… this sounds quite exciting to me as the Star Wars Universe will play a heavy roll in the future of Disney’s film and themed entertainment and adding a Star Wars theme to Tomorrowland will also “fix” the long running problem of Tomorrowland always looking outdated a decade or so after they revamp it. This will be much like what Disney has managed to do with the more fantasy oriented Tomorrowland in Walt Disney World. In short, a Star Wars themed Tomorrowland will serve the park as a Sci-Fi version of Fantasyland. While I’m glad to see the Astro Orbiter removed from the entrance to the park, I don’t think dropping a new one on the roof of the Magic Eye theater in front of Space Mountain is a good idea. I’d much rather see them rebuild it on the site of the old Rocket Jet tower… even if that means demolishing the current tower and building a new one just for the new attraction. This would open up the roof of the Magic Eye theater location as a better location to put the Millennium Falcon, where guests walking the Space Mountain queue can get up close and enjoy the view of one of Sci-Fi’s most well known spaceships while they wait in line. (4/15/13) MiceChat reports that the former plan to create a Tron themed LightCycle coaster may be back on track for Tomorrowland. Unlike the Shanghai version of the LightCycle coaster which will be enclosed inside a building, there is a chance that the Disneyland version could be a mix of indoor and outdoor locations, possibly reusing some of the old PeopleMover / Rocket Rods track locations. While I’d love to see a Tron coaster… I really do think that it needs to be all indoors to allow for the Tron themeing and special effects to really work and be impressive. Putting it outdoors for more than perhaps a moment would only serve to bring you out of that digital environment and ruin the theme. If this project gets approved, the proposed new expansion project behind Frontierland (rumored to be themed to OZ) may be put on indefinite hold. (3/23/13) According to a report on SlashFilm, the Disneyland Resort has been sending a few quiet surveys out to passholders to ask, “How interested would you be in visiting a Star Wars themed land at the Disneyland Resort?” Additional questions follow this to get a basis on which films in the series are your favorite, what kind of interesting Star Wars themed merchandise you might want to buy (housewares?!) and so on. With the rumors of a Star Wars Land now on for Paris as well as starting up in Florida, it only makes sense Disneyland would get in on the action as well. The obvious location within Disneyland would be to locate it in the the backstage area that fits between Space Mountain and Main Street. This site is hardly off limits for development as Disney Imagineering has pitched and almost built new mini-lands back there several times over the years, the most famous of which was the Hollywoodland area announced by Michael Eisner as part of the “Disney Decade” plan for the 1990’s. (NOTE: The infamous Hollywoodland would have had a copy of The Great Movie Ride, the Toontown Trolley simulator, Baby Herman’s Runaway Baby Buggy ride, the Superstar TV show and a Dick Tracy’s Crimestoppers ride.) That said... there is one other possibility to consider. I’ve heard rumors for a long time claiming that a large Star Wars themed land was under consideration as a major land for Disneyland’s 3rd Park project. To read more about that, click here and make the jump. (12/19/12) While Disneyland has admitted nothing just yet, another reader popped in with a rumor about the pending destruction of the Innoventions building. According to this story, there were told that the attraction would close down sometime in February 2014 from a CM on site. If true, I’d expect Disney to confirm this sometime after the start of the new year. (11/1/12) I’m not sure quite how right on the ball this rumor it, but according to our source we could see Innoventions at Disneyland closed down in February 2013 to demolish the structure and prepare the site for a rumored Iron Man themed E-Ticket attraction. Timewise this sounds about right if Disney wants to have their first big Marvel E-Ticket ready in time for Summer 2015 when Avengers 2 hits the theaters. Rumor has it that while the Iron Man ride concept may not have been given the final green light, they have been told to get it ready to go and closing Innoventions would be the first step needed to begin work.